


Lost and Found

by SuperfluousEmi



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: AU, Childhood Friends, Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-11-16 04:45:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11246592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperfluousEmi/pseuds/SuperfluousEmi
Summary: When Isak was little, his best friend was Even.Even if he was imaginary.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic in the SKAM fandom. I've had the idea kicking around for quite a while and finally am putting it to paper. I am American, so apologies up front for anything that seems off.

When Isak was three years old, his best friend in the world was Even. They did everything together, loved the same games, the same food. Every possible second was spent with each other.

***

When Isak was four years old, he heard Mamma and Pappa talking about Even. They called him imaginary. When he asked Mamma what imaginary meant, she told him that it meant Even wasn’t real. 

“Are you real?” Isak had asked Even as they played in his bedroom later that day. Even looked puzzled by this question.

“Do _you_ think I’m real?” he asked.

Without pausing, Isak nodded. Even looked satisfied by this. 

“Then I’m real.” 

They went back to playing.

***

When Isak was five years old, his Mamma got sick. She started crying and yelling a lot at people no one could see. It made Isak feel sick to his tummy.

One day not long after, he mentioned Even in front of Pappa and Pappa got angry at him. 

“I can’t do this with both of you Isak! Enough is enough, Even _isn’t real!_ ” 

Isak felt tears filling his eyes. He didn’t want to make Pappa angry. He didn’t want to make Mamma sad.

“I don’t think I should play with you anymore,” Isak mentioned to Even later that day, as they sat cross legged on Isak’s bed playing with action figures.. 

Even’s eyes grew wide. “What do you mean?”

“It’s making Pappa angry. I think he thinks I might be sick like Mamma.” 

Even stared as Isak for a moment, then threw his arms around him. “There’s nothing wrong with you Isak. I promise.” Isak clutched Even hard. “But… I think maybe I should go.”

Now that Even agreed, Isak was suddenly panicked. “Wait! I don’t want you to go!”

Even just smiled at him. “Goodbye, Isak. I won’t ever forget you.”

Isak felt tears spilling down his cheeks and Even pulled him close. They curled up together on Isak’s bed and eventually Isak fell asleep.

When he woke up, Even was gone. 

***

Isak’s Mamma didn’t get better. 

 

Isak’s memories of Even grew fainter with time, the way childhood memories do.

 

By the time Isak was ten, he didn’t remember Even at all.


	2. Chapter 2

"I don't get it."

Isak quit throwing shirts into his suitcase and looked over his shoulder at Magnus, who was chewing his thumbnail, brow furrowed. "What don't you get?"

Magnus threw his hands up in the air. "It just sounds so boring! What are you going to do?" From Isak's bed, Jonas snorted with laughter.

"That's the point, Mags. I'm not going to _do_ anything. It's a vacation. Time to get away and relax before we all start university in the fall. Lots of people do it."

Magnus still looked dubious and Isak rolled his eyes.

"Not everyone wants to spend all summer drinking and failing to pick up chicks," Mahdi chipped in from where he was rifling through the collection of magazines Isak had piled on the floor.

Magnus squawked, offended.

Jonas tugged at Isak's sleeve. "Seriously, bro, won't you get lonely all by yourself? Maybe we could come by and visit sometime." His heavy brows were drawn down in thinly veiled concern. Of all their friends, Jonas was probably the one who knew how rough Isak's life had been, having been there since primary school.

Isak shrugged. "Honestly, with how crazy busy the past few months were, I think I really need this time to just de-stress. But hey, I'm definitely open to visits, if you'll miss me that badly." He winked and Jonas laughed. "Seriously, guys. I'll be chill. Don't worry."

Isak almost believed it himself.

***  
Isak stared out the window of the train as it pulled out of Oslo central station, leaning his forehead on the glass. The trip to the cabins at Geirangerfjord was going to take almost nine hours. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he shot off a text to his group chat, before nestling his earbuds in his ears and starting one of his many playlists.

Settling deeper into his seat, he let himself watch the city flashing by. He'd spent his whole life in Oslo, but the closer he got to leaving school, the more suffocated he felt. All he wanted was to get away, to not worry about anything. His family, his friends, the constant strain of pretending to be something he wasn't.

The closest he'd ever come to telling someone was Jonas, but he'd chickened out. After all, he'd never actually been with a guy. So it was just easier to force those feelings down, talk about chicks with the rest of the guys, get drunk and have sloppy makeouts with random girls to keep them off his back, and hate himself for it later.  


Isak closed his eyes and let the motion of the train lull him, before he drifted off to sleep.

***

Isak juggled the keys to his rented cabin in his hand, finally managing to insert them into the lock, the door creaking open. The cabin he'd picked was modest, only three rooms. The main area was both living and kitchen, the other two rooms a small bedroom and a bathroom.

He shuffled through the door and toed off his shoes, flicking on the overhead light. The large window along one wall looked out on the water. This was a popular place for getaways, but this... this cottage was all his. His own space for the first time in his life, even if it was only temporary and he felt his heart get lighter than it'd been for a long time. He felt like he could finally breathe.

It didn't take long for him to unpack, having only brought the minimum of what he'd need. Feeling too tired to cook anything elaborate, he made himself a cheese toastie on a hotplate in the kitchen, before returning to the bedroom and collapsing on the duvet.

Isak flicked on his phone and pulled up the group chat with the boys.

  
**I made it. It's beautiful here.**

  


**Jonas**

Glad you had a safe trip :)

**Magnus**  
You seen any hot chicks yet?

**Mahdi**  
Seriously, bro?

  
**Magnus, I've been here for literally an hour. And ninety percent of that's been in my cabin.**

**Magnus**  
What? You never know.

**Mahdi**

[](http://imgur.com/kKQgtM7)

**Jonas**

Bet you're regretting leaving now, huh Isak?  


  
**Why am I friends with you idiots?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the gap between chapters. I've been dealing with sickness around my house. Hopefully things will pick up from here on out. :)

Isak woke with a start, whatever dream he'd been having already slipping away, leaving him with a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. He threw his arm over his face and breathed until his heart slowed back down to a normal rhythm.  
This had been the first nightmare he'd had in the week he'd been at the cabin. Back home, it was either insomnia or unsettling dreams, always one or the other. For a few blissful days, it had been neither, just solid sleep for the first time in who knows how long.  


He had a sneaking suspicion this dream had been about the last few days in the house he grew up in. The bad ones usually were. He supposed he should be grateful he couldn't remember.

Rolling out of bed, his bare feet hit the ground and he shivered a bit at the cold feel of the wood floor. The light was barely breaking over the horizon, but he was giving up on going back to sleep. After a warm shower and brewing himself a cup of tea, Isak went out onto the porch and sat down in one of the chairs there. A low mist was clinging over the water, the stillness of the dawn calming and serene.

Last night, some of the other inhabitants of nearby cabins had been having a raucous party, drinking and dancing long into the night. Isak imagined most of them were still in their beds, hangovers imminent. It meant he had probably the next few hours to himself to enjoy the peace and quiet.  


Pulling his phone out of his pocket to check the time, he noticed missed texts from Sana. They had come in the night before, when the noise had been at its highest.

 

 **Sana:**  
Emailed you some pre course reading.

 **Sana:**  
If you need something to fix your attention on to stop from dying of boredom.

Isak snorted. He highly doubted he'd feel the need to start his university reading any time soon. He was both thrilled and terrified to be studying medicine with Sana in the fall, but at this point, the terror and avoidance was winning out. He was thankful that she'd be there with him, her equanimity and no nonsense attitude a comfort.

**Seriously? I'm going to give it a few weeks. I'm sure the next few years will have more than enough reading for us.  
How's Yousef? :)**

Isak smiled down at his phone. Even though it probably never worked, he wanted to try and fluster Sana at least once, considering how much it happened to him thanks to her razor sharp wit.

***

Once his hungover neighbors started to rouse, Isak decided to get out of the cabin and go for a hike. He'd been appreciating the nature from a distance so far, and the urge to stretch his legs a bit had gotten strong.

Pulling on his sneakers and throwing a snapback on, he locked up the cabin and headed up the road to one of the trails that would take him along the fjord, up into the hills. The paths were well maintained and he planned on avoiding anything too difficult, but after about thirty minutes he could feel the muscles in his legs start to burn a bit with the workout. He was moving uphill steadily, his music a gentle background in his ears as he took in the beauty of his surroundings, the water to his right deep blue in the morning sunlight, hardly a cloud in the sky. 

Sweat trickled down Isak's back and he fanned his shirt a bit, wishing he'd thought to wear shorts. He came to a break in the trees and walked to the edge of the path, peering down and widening his eyes at how high he'd already gotten. Blowing out a breath he started to step back when a tremendous crash came from directly behind him. Barely having enough time to register the large shape of some animal, he flailed to his right without thinking, his foot kicking out over the edge.

Letting out a shout, his arms windmilled, frantic. He had the sudden fleeting sensation of a hand grasping his, even though he was alone. It was a split second and before he could even start to think what it mean, his fingers slipped and he tumbled backwards over the edge. For what felt like an eternity, he fell, before he slapped into the water with a hard sting, and a sharp pain erupted at the back of his head. In a daze, he saw the water around him turn reddish and vaguely registered he must have hit his head on a rock.  
He tried to stay conscious, darkness tugging at the edge of his vision. Dimly, he knew if he lost consciousness, he would drown, and he tried to orient himself and find the surface. Time seemed to slow again as his lungs burned. Despite everything, he felt eerily calm, almost like this was inevitable. Black spots burst behind his eyes and he gasped, water flooding into his mouth as he drifted down into darkness. 

***

Warmth was the first thing Isak was aware of. His entire body felt cocooned in heat, a stark contrast to what had been chilly water. He realized he was lying down on soft sheets...in a bed?

As he came fully awake, his eyes fluttered open and he started as he was met by a pair of wide, blue eyes. 

"What?" he choked out, his throat raspy and sore. He struggled to his elbows and gaped at the young man sitting on the edge of Isak's bed.

"You fell," the stranger said. His face was lined with concern. He was dressed simply in a t-shirt and jeans, slightly wet, with half dried blond hair starting to fluff up over a smooth forehead. 

"What happened? Did you?" Isak struggled for words.

"I pulled you out of the water and brought you back here," the man confirmed. "Are you alright?"

Isak's hand flew to the back of his head, where he'd struck it. His fingers came away clean, no blood, and there wasn't any pain. "But... I hit my head."

The young man looked something like guilty for a flash of a second, before he shrugged. "I didn't see it."

Isak shook his head, trying to clear it. "How did you know where I was staying. And who are you?" He thought maybe he'd seen him around the camp. There was a familiarity to his features, but whatever it was, it danced in the back of Isak's mind, out of reach.

"I saw you leave this cabin this morning," the man said. "And my name... it's Even."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"And my name... it's Even."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness, I apologize SO MUCH for the massive delay on this. There was a lot of shit going on in my rl, along with a parade of sickness and ER visits (things are fine now), but I really want to get back to this. I've never left a WIP unfinished and I have no intention of starting now.

"And my name... it's Even."

_Even._

Again, there was that flicker of recognition at the back of Isak's brain, as fleeting as the tug of a fish on a line. Even watched him, silent, his features etched with concern. He eventually cleared his throat and asked, "Do you think you should get checked out? I saw a clinic in walking distance... maybe they can look at your head for you."

Isak shook his head. He wasn't in any residual pain in his chest or head, as surprising as that was. "I think I'm fine. If something happens later, I'll just call for help." He moved to a sitting position, waiting to see if his vision swam or his head started to pound. Neither happened. "If not for you... I think I would have been done for. You saved my life."

Even's cheeks flushed with color. "Right place, right time I guess. I'm just happy I was able to help."

Isak felt his own cheeks heat a bit. There was no denying Even was a good looking man, and Isak was suddenly acutely aware of his proximity. And... that he was in different clothes. Dry clothes. Even had changed him while he was out. Deciding he had nothing to lose, and all his dignity was most likely already gone, he blurted, "Do you want to maybe hang out sometime? If you're staying here, that is?" 

Even's full lips turned up in a smile. "I'd like that...." He trailed off and Isak realized he'd never given his own name.

"I'm Isak, by the way." He held out his hand and Even took it. Isak felt warmth tingling in his fingertips, that started running up the length of his arm. Even's lips parted and he dropped Isak's hand. "I'd give you my phone number, but I'm guessing my phone is residing at the bottom of the water." 

"It's alright. I don't have a phone, anyway."

Isak's brow furrowed. "You don't have a phone? Are you human?"

Even laughed, and it sounded a bit forced. "I just mean...I wanted to be disconnected out here. Get back into nature, that kind of thing."

Isak nodded. That's what he was doing too, in a way. It made sense. "I should probably replace mine as soon as possible. If I don't answer my friends, they'll probably send out a search party after a day. They were weird enough about me coming out here by myself." Isak had a vague memory of a small market near enough to his cottage. Cheap cell phones were on sale everywhere, and that should do for now. Even was still just sitting and watching him, so Isak forged on. "Would you like to come with me to get one tomorrow?"

Even's lips turned up yet again. "Meet you here tomorrow morning then." 

Isak grinned back. 

***

As promised, by the time Isak was up and dressed the next morning, Even was loitering around his porch, hands jammed in his pockets, and a hoodie pulled up over his gravity defying hair. 

"Hi," Isak called, and Even broke into the biggest smile Isak had seen yet, making his eyes almost disappear in a crinkle. Isak privately resolved to make Even do that as much as possible. 

"Are you feeling ok?" Even asked, looking Isak up and down. 

"Amazing in fact. I'm not sure how that happened, but I'm embracing it." Isak had slept like a baby the previous night and woke up full of energy. He attributed it to leftover adrenaline and the endorphins released from his rescue by a gorgeous boy. 

"Glad to hear it," Even said, shuffling his feet a bit. "You ready to go?" 

Isak headed down the stairs and they set off in the direction of the store. "So how long have you been staying here?" he asked, not wanting to fall into an uncomfortable silence. 

"Just a week or so," Even said. 

"Same here." Isak chuckled to himself. "Can't believe that's all it took before I almost drowned myself." 

Even frowned, and Isak's chuckle petered out. 

Great. Uncomfortable silence it would be, then. 

Once they made it to the store, Isak quickly found a rack of pre-paid phones and picked out one of the cheapest. "You know," he said, "if we're going to be hanging out... maybe you could get one too?"

Even's mouth opened and closed a few times. "I don't have any money with me." 

"I can treat. It's the least I can do after what you did for me." Even's mouth opened like he was going to protest but Isak ignored him, grabbing a matching phone and bringing them to the clerk. 

Ten minutes later, Isak was putting his number into Even's new phone. Even looked a bit lost when Isak handed it back, turning the phone in his hands. "I know these are practically ancient in terms of technology," Isak said, "but it'll be enough for texting." 

Even slipped the phone in his pocket and gave Isak a small smile. "Thanks. It'll be nice to be able to reach you instead of lurking outside your cabin."

Isak raised his eyebrows. "You do a lot of lurking?" 

Even's eyes sparkled with mischief. "You could say that." 

Before Isak could ask what he meant, Even was striding back up the road with his long legs and Isak hurried after him. 

***

Isak had texted his friends with his new phone and had to promise to let Jonas visit to keep them all from storming his cottage within the day. He assured everyone that he was fine, and let slip about Even rescuing him. Magnus had immediately had a gleeful freak out over Isak finding a "hottie".

**How on earth would you know if he's hot Magnus?**

**I can just tell, don't even lie to me dude. :D :D :D**

Isak ignored him and finalized plans for the boys to visit in a month. 

For now, his days were occupied with Even. They met almost every morning to go on walks, sit for long hours and talk and on one memorable day, climb a giant tree that Even had found with a perfect perch to look out over the landscape. 

Despite how nice it was to spend time with Even, Isak still knew very little about him. He said he came from Oslo, had no family, and no real plans for his future. That he was just 'living in the moment'. Isak wasn't sure he bought it, but he didn't want to push. He was relishing their time together way too much for that. There was an ease and a comfort to being with Even, despite only having met. And Isak had every intention of enjoying it for as long as he could.


End file.
